I thought of my son back home, says Bangladeshi worker

He is one of two men presented with lifesaver award from SCDF for saving boy

- Caelyn Tan

A Bangladeshi worker had been cycling home after buying lunch when he came across a crowd of people gathered under Block 350C Canberra Road, most with their phones out, taking photos and videos.

Following their gaze, Mr Jahir, 34, who goes by only one name, was alarmed to see a three-year-old boy standing on the third-storey ledge of the flat, frozen in shock and staring blankly ahead.

On Oct 25, Mr Jahir, a lorry driver who has been in Singapore for more than 16 years, was one of two men presented with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award for saving the boy.

A video clip of the child being led to safety from the ledge had gone viral. On Oct 20, the toddler was standing on the third-storey ledge of the flat at around 11.50am, as several worried onlookers gathered below.

Mr Jahir, who works for paper mill company Gee Ho Seng, had been cycling to his home nearby when he noticed the crowd and saw the child standing precariously close to the edge of the ledge.

Said Mr Jahir: "The moment I saw him, I thought of my seven-year-old son back home in Bangladesh. I just wanted to save the boy. There was no time to wait. I was worried he'd fall."